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Sunday, 16 April 2017

look what the Easter mummy brought

How is your Easter weekend going? Ours has been pleasant so far. We are not religious and we are simply enjoying a long weekend. It is the beginning of the Bank Holiday season here in Britain, May is just fabulous two long weekends to look forward too. May is also my birthday month and a the beginning of the camping season.

I was inspired by Jo's sewing for her girls the other day and decided to follow suit. I had two wild digital print knit fabrics in my stash that I have been meaning to make into t-shirts for well over a year. Now that I am less terrified of my overlocker, I find knit fabrics easier to work with. These two fabrics were quite firm, proper solid t-shirt fabric. It was so much easier to sew than than the slinky knit I used for my own t-shirt!

The pattern is from Zierstoff. It is a simple raglan t-shirt pattern that allows you to choose between 16 sizes, six months to 12 years. There is a tiny child size range and an older child size range that you can buy separately. All versions have an optional pocket and come in long and short sleeved versions. It is a pdf pattern and I was unable set the printer to print without scaling to the page. The 10 cm square was actually 9.5 cm, which was a bit annoying but not the end of the world. I decided to go a size up for James' t-shirt but made the 'correct' size for Alistair because he is so petite. I am glad one wanted the bears and the other penguins, I didn't have enough fabric to make more than one t-shirt from each fabric.

Printing the two patterns, sticking the sheets together and cutting the pattern pieces out took almost longer than sewing the t-shirts. I think I am starting to like my overlocker. Sewing the t-shirts was a breeze, it took about 30 minutes for both, including the neckbands but not counting the hem.

I chose a contrasting colour for the neckbands because I could. I wanted to make sure it sits flat and decided to topstitch it in place. I chose a narrow zigzag but it didn't look good. Unpicking the 8 cm I stitched before I decided it didn't look good took longer than sewing the two t-shirts together. I was not a happy bunny mummy. I also managed to cut a tiny hole in the bear fabric.... I checked some of the boys t-shirts out and noticed that some have a decorative but not narrow zigzag stitch for hems and topstitching. I decided to do this and it worked a treat. I zigzagged over the teeny tiny hole, Alistair is never going to notice.

There you are, two happy boys wearing wild new t-shirts. You'll notice that the t-shirts are a bit baggy on the boys, they are such skinnymalinks. I'll probably adjust the pattern next time but I also just noticed that there is a slim fit version on the same site to download.

Right, I am off to get a BBQ with friends organised. The weather so far has been disappointing but us hardy Scots, we are not put-off by a little smir or even freezing fog. Nothing beats a soggy burger and toes numb with the cold :-)

Wishing you all a lovely Easter weekend, whether you are celebrating a traditional Christian Easter, a more pagan version or simply like spending time with family and friends. xxx

11 comments:

They are brilliant, well done Christina. Over the years I've bought material with the intention of making garments. I'm 5'11" and nothing ever fits me, unless I find bargains on Long Tall Sally - I have yet to find someone pay full price on their site. So unless I buy men's tops, ladies t-shirts, skirts, dresses (not long sleeved) or the above, I go without.Happy Easter, just got back from friends - shared lunch and Easter egg hunt. It was one large egg for everyone including adults with your name on it. Cathy x

I *LOVE* your adorable boys and they look great in their new t-shirts! Bravo, mom! We also had a mellow day with some egg hunting and we have pork chops in the oven and cubed potatoes and onions cooking in a pan with some chopped onions.. and corn on the cob! Have a good BBQ!

I LOVE them! That is the way to get boys to model for you, entice them with a funny pose. I was admiring the neck bindings in the first picture and then read your paragraph on making them but they look fabulous. I have been sewing with jersey for 3 years and I would say I am just about over being scared of them! It feels good to get some stash into everyday use doesn't it? Jo x

I've always loved the idea of making t-shirts, but the thought of wrestling with jersey fabric puts me off every time! Your t-shirts look fabulous, and your skinnymalink boys will soon grow into them :-) xx

About Me

Hello! Thanks for stopping by, I hope you like it here.
I live in Scotland with my long suffering husband, 4 kids, two cats and a dog. Our life is slightly mad but colourful in many ways. Here I share memorable moments, and sometimes the not so memorable ones, too.